Friday, November 11, 2011

Penn State tackled the ugly fallout of the child sex abuse scandal Friday, as authorities picked the leaders of a special panel to investigate the allegations and students prepared for a nighttime vigil in support of the victims.

The scandal revolves around Jerry Sandusky, the football team's former defensive coordinator who is accused of sexually assaulting children, and it led to the departure of four top university figures, including nationally revered coach Joe Paterno, amid widespread outrage over their perceived failure to contact police.

"This is a tragedy for many lives, and it will take all of us some time to come to grips with the full magnitude of all the damage that has been done," the university's new president, Rodney Erickson, told the board of trustees on Friday.